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Angelina Jolie‘s brother James Haven has long been a constant in her life, and she has never shied away from expressing her admiration for her only sibling.
The firstborn son of actor Jon Voight and the late actress Marcheline Bertrand, Haven has frequently appeared at premieres and award shows to support his sister. He has also been a private source of support, especially during Jolie’s very public split from Brad Pitt, with whom she shares six children.
Although the 51-year-old generally leads a low-key life, Haven has built an impressive career and legacy of his own. Read on to learn more about him and his life with his sister below.
He’s an Actor Too
James Haven on a red carpet. ( Featureflash Photo Agency)
Like Jolie, the talented star has appeared in various films and television shows since 1998. He started out in a small role alongside Jolie in the film Gia and has appeared in other popular movies since then, including Hell’s Kitchen, Original Sin, Monster’s Ball, Breaking Dawn, and Stay Alive. The television shows he’s appeared in include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Game.
In addition to acting, he’s been the executive board director of Artivist, which is a festival in Los Angeles that puts a spotlight on various issues, including human rights, animal rights, and environmental issues.
He Once Worked as Jolie’s Kids’ Nanny
Angelina Jolie and James Haven at an event. (Bei/Shutterstock)
Shortly after Angelina’s split from her husband Brad Pitt in 2016, James reportedly moved in to step in the role of not only uncle, but head nanny to some of the other nannies looking after Angelina and Brad’s six children, who include Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox. She reportedly fired him in 2017, however, and their close relationship had reportedly drifted away since then.
But the siblings remained famously (and sometimes infamously) close, and in December 2023, Haven spoke candidly about his protective role over his sister following her divorce from Pitt. “That’s where it all started — it started with the protection of her and her children, my nieces and nephews,” he said during an appearance on the 90who10 podcast, via Page Six. “I set my life up so I can be present for whatever the situation is,” he continued. “I want to be there for them or for her — whatever she’s going through.”
He added that he wanted to be there for the kids during their “massively formative years.”
“They’re becoming young adults in their early 20s,” he said. “I think it’s just very natural, and I just want to be there anytime. Anytime I’m blessed to be in their presence, I want to be in their presence.”
His Niece Shiloh Was Named After Him
James revealed that Shiloh was supposed to be his middle name when he was born in 1973, but his parents changed their minds, in a 2007 interview with Grazia. When Shiloh was born in 2006, Angelina apparently remembered and loved the name so much, that she chose it for her daughter.
“At the last second, my parents gave me Haven instead. It was very cool when Brad and Angie came to me and said, ‘We’re thinking of names and our favorite is Shiloh. We know that was your original name, so would that be OK?’,” James told the outlet. “I was almost in tears – I was so honored.”
He Sparked Controversy When He & Angelina Kissed at the 2000 Oscars
Angelina Jolie and James Haven hug at an event. (Featureflash Photo Agency)
The brother and sister attended the ceremony together and shared a smooch on the lips as they posed on the red carpet. It caused eyebrows to raise and made headlines everywhere, becoming a now-infamous moment. Angelina’s acceptance speech for winning Best Actress for her role in Girl, Interrupted, also got the attention that night when she said she was “in love” with James.
Despite the confusion of some viewers, both James and Angelina were reportedly going through a difficult time behind the scenes during that time when their mother began treatment after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which she passed away from seven years later. They reportedly spent that same day at the hospital before stepping out on the carpet for one of the biggest award shows in the world. “Nobody in the world knew that they spent the day in the hospital. It was like, ‘Look where we’re at now.’ But the world saw something incestual,” an insider told Radar Online.
He Became a Born-Again Christian in 2009
Since embracing his religion, he has reportedly been a part of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA and was apparently training to be a youth minister in 2012. Being a Christian is reportedly what led him to mending things with his father, Jon, after years of being estranged from him, and he allegedly encouraged Angelina to do the same.
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